No Time Like Tomorrow
by DramaLexy
Summary: A gate accident changes everything. Sparkyfic, starts off at some random point in the near future [like season 3ish]. COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

TITLE: No Time Like Tomorrow

AUTHOR: DramaLexy

SUMMARY: A gate accident changes everything. Sparky-fic, starts off season 3-ish.

DISCLAIMER: Not mine. Don't sue.

* * *

Elizabeth Weir slowly opened her eyes, awakened by a noticeable loss of heat around her. "What time is it?" she whispered, rubbing her eyes.

"0400," John Sheppard's voice replied from somewhere within the darkness of her quarters. She could hear him getting dressed, and sat up in bed, pulling her knees up under her chin.

"Why so early?" she asked.

"Because I almost got caught yesterday. Luckily I was far enough down your hallway that I don't think the lieutenant on guard realized where I'd come from, but we don't need the night guard wondering why their insomniac CO seems to be wandering the same corridor every night."

"We need a vacation," Elizabeth commented, and received a smile.

"Mmm, yeah, I wouldn't mind being able to spend the entire night with you, just once." Fully clothed, he returned to Elizabeth's side and kissed her. "See you at morning briefing," he said before heading for the door and quietly slipping out into the hallway.

Elizabeth lay back down with a sigh. They'd been doing…whatever it is you would call what they'd been doing, for the past six months. Sometimes her room, sometimes his. More often than not, he'd bring lunch up to her office for them to share, under the pretense that she never had time to properly take care of herself. A few weeks earlier, he'd taken her along on a jumper ride to check in with the Athosians on the mainland, and made a slight detour to high orbit so she could see the whole planet. She'd been in space before, of course, with trips on the Daedalus, but there usually wasn't much time for sight-seeing when the enormous ship was on approach for the city. That afternoon had taught her exactly why John was so in love with flying.

Half the city had been gossiping about them ever since they arrived in Atlantis three years earlier, but they hadn't felt the need to confirm anyone's assumptions, even though those assumptions were now true. The fear was always there that someone back on Earth would have an aneurism if they found out and recall one or both of them. Most days, both of them thought a little sneaking around was worth it in order to be able to stay in Atlantis.

Most days. As Elizabeth tried to get another hour or so of sleep, she inwardly agreed with John's sentiment that being able to have him stay the night for once would be a welcome change.

* * *

As John walked down the hall on his way to the briefing later that morning, he heard a decisive thud against one of the doors as he passed. A moment later, the sound repeated. He was about to go investigate, until he heard voices through the wall as well. Voices he recognized. John turned and quickly continued on his way. That was more information than he needed to know. 

Elizabeth was already waiting in the conference room, nursing a cup of coffee. She teasingly checked her watch as he came in the door. "This must have stopped working," she said, "Because there's no way you're early."

"I had a little incentive not to go wandering in the halls. You'd think that married people wouldn't need to still be ducking into hall closets."

Elizabeth smiled. "Hopefully they made sure it actually was a closet, not a transporter."

"Mmm."

Within the next few minutes, the rest of the senior staff arrived. Teyla and Ronon were noticeably late, slipping in as Rodney began some long-winded explanation of his latest project. John saw her sheepishly trying to smooth her hair, and Ronon couldn't wipe a smirk off his face for the entire meeting. They'd been 'bonded' on the mainland months earlier and still acted like a couple of teenagers. Usually John found it amusing. Today…

"Colonel Sheppard?" he heard Elizabeth say, pulling him from his thoughts. She smiled, knowing full well that he'd spaced out. "Any opinion?"

"Whatever McKay thinks will work best." He could see Rodney perk up, and briefly wondered exactly what he'd just agreed to.

"All right, I think that's everything," Elizabeth brought the meeting to a close. "Good luck this afternoon." AG-1 had a mission to some planet John couldn't remember the designation for to work on trade relations.

Rodney, Teyla, Ronon, and Beckett exited the room, leaving the city's leaders alone. "What did I just say 'yes' to?" John asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know," Elizabeth teased. "That'll teach you to pay attention in staff meetings. What were you thinking about, anyway?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," John impishly shot back. She raised an eyebrow at him, giving him a look that said she could very easily make his life very difficult. And he knew it wasn't a bluff. "You," he replied.

"What?"

"I was thinking about you. And me. And all the other couples in this city."

Elizabeth smirked. "I assume that Teyla and Ronon were the ones you heard earlier?"

"Yeah, let's not focus on that. Too much information, remember?"

Elizabeth smiled. "You ever wonder what would happen if that was us? If everyone just knew? I mean…are we really going to keep sneaking around forever? Is that a future?"

"I don't know. If we both want to stay here…maybe."

"We've already proven we can compartmentalize. Dr. Weir and Colonel Sheppard run this city. John and Elizabeth have picnics with the last of the ice cream and sneak in and out of each other's rooms. They can't say that being together affects our jobs."

"Sure they can. Nobody ever wanted me at the top of the totem pole around here anyway. That was your influence."

Elizabeth frowned. "I thought it was what you wanted, what was best for the whole city."

"I'm just saying that if the brass back on Earth knew about us, they'd have the reason they always wanted to get rid of me."

"Then we'll fight. I've spent my life talking people into doing the right things. Are we supposed to spend the rest of our lives like this because of their expectations?"

"I just think…we have to take things one day at a time. That's all any of us do anyway, isn't it? We're all just hoping we live to see tomorrow."

"The days have to add up to something, John. Otherwise it's not actually living."

"I thought any time we spent together WAS adding up to something," he shot. "My mistake."

"John – " she started, but he was already halfway out the door, and didn't turn back. Elizabeth sighed, sitting in one of the chairs.

She had understood the fact that life was short long before she came to Atlantis. It was why she took chances – with her work, her stint at the SGC, Antarctica, and now this. She could see herself spending the rest of her life in the city, and saw her military leader as part of that. She just wanted to know if he saw the same. Somehow everything had just come out wrong. Considering how many negotiations she'd been a part of, it was amazing how much trouble she had when the subject was her own life.

"Dr. Weir?" she heard a voice ask, and looked up to see Zelenka in the doorway. "Should I come back later?" the scientist asked.

"No, now's fine," she said, getting up and leading the way back to her office. "What can I do for you?"

"I have the reports that you wanted…"


	2. Chapter 2

It wasn't like they hadn't fought before, both over personal and professional issues. That thought wasn't very comforting, though, as Elizabeth watched AG-1 prepare for their trip off-world that afternoon. She had a nagging bad feeling, and couldn't get a saying her father had always told her out of her head: 'Don't go to bed angry.' Missions should have a similar rule.

"We're ready," Ronon called up to the control room, and the lieutenant Elizabeth was standing beside began dialing the gate. As the wormhole connected, she noticed that John didn't turn around to look back up at her, to wave good-bye. He simply walked away into the event horizon, and his team followed.

"Good luck," Elizabeth whispered, as per tradition, even though they were already gone.

* * *

John had learned long ago that his team had to be careful what they said while off world. On multiple occasions, Rodney's mouth had nearly gotten them into serious trouble. This time, however, he was pretty sure that his team was not at fault for their current situation.

The afternoon had started out pretty well, with a tour of the Talbyn capital city and a bit of history. All the women in the society were sheltered and kept out of sight. They hoped that this would help when the Wraith arrived; protecting the ones who would provide the next generation of their people.

Given their almost reverential attitudes, AG-1 didn't think mentioning the fact that their city was female-led would be a problem. Apparently, forcing a woman to work when a man could do the job instead was a grave injustice to the Talbyns. The team suddenly found themselves thoroughly unwelcome on the planet, with only a brief chance to escape the capital before being jailed.

They took their window of opportunity, and made it past the city limits, but they still had to get through the woods on foot to return to the gate, and had armed guardsmen coming behind them. "Is anyone else still wondering exactly what happened here?" Rodney got out between gasps, trying to keep up with the rest of the team as they ran through the forest.

"Less talking, more running," John shot. He kept pace with Rodney while Ronon and Teyla ran ahead to get the DHD dialed and their IDC sent through. They were just barely at the point where John could make out the Stargate ahead of them when a blast of weapons fire went by their heads. A hole was bored through a tree trunk in front of them. The next blast, however, caused a towering oak-like tree to explode.

"What the hell?" John exclaimed as he and Rodney hit the deck, scrambling behind a little embankment for some cover.

"The power levels of their weapons must be fluctuating."

"On purpose?"

"How am I supposed to know? Would you like me to go ask them?"

John tapped his radio. "Ronon, Teyla, what's your status?"

"We are dialing the Stargate," Teyla told him. "We have come under fire."

"You, too, huh? We're on our way to your position."

* * *

In Atlantis, the people in the control room were surprised when the gate connected. "Incoming wormhole!" Elizabeth left her office – the earliest expected team was AG-1, and they were still a few hours ahead of schedule.

A few thuds against the shield were audible as weapons fire was stopped before it passed into the city. "I'm reading Ronon's IDC," the tech at the computer reported.

"Clear the gate area!" Elizabeth told the personnel that were downstairs, hoping to protect them from whoever was after her flagship team. "Lower the shield," she ordered the lieutenant. He complied, and was rewarded with a minor explosion downstairs.

"I'm picking up irregularities in the gate power system," one of the other techs called out. They could all hear the funny noise that the device was beginning to make. "I can't stabilize it!" Another burst of weapons fire entered the city, making the whole room shake.

After an eternal moment, Teyla and Rodney both came through into the gate room, followed by Ronon. With a flash of light that was bright enough to make everyone cover their eyes, the gate shut down. Elizabeth stared downstairs in shock.

"Where's John?" she asked. Ronon looked behind him, stunned.

"He was right behind us," Rodney said, before turning to stare at the now-closed Stargate. The device remained silent, smoking slightly. There was a very high chance that Colonel John Sheppard now ceased to exist.

* * *

TBC... 


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for all the reviews I've gotten so far!**

* * *

Anyone who thought that Elizabeth was made of stone was wrong. She simply did a good job of pretending as she oversaw the effort to figure out exactly what had gone wrong with the gate. They lost a perfectly good MALP to Talbyn forces while trying to determine whether or not John had made it into the gate in the first place. All the evidence the science team could collect pointed to the fact that he had.

"The energy signatures from the gate indicate that it was still transmitting when it shut down," Rodney told her as he gave her a report. Elizabeth put it down on her desk, returning her hands to her lap before anyone else could see that they were shaking. "We know that something was still in the wormhole, and we can only assume…it was Colonel Sheppard."

"Do you have any idea what caused this to happen?" Elizabeth asked him, doing her best to force her voice to stay steady. "W-what would have caused the energy fluctuations we recorded or the gate to shut down prematurely?"

"It looks like the overload caused the shutdown, most likely as an automatic safety precaution to prevent damage to our power systems. And we know the Talbyn weapons were highly unstable. They likely caused the overload."

"And there's no…no possible way to get him back?" Elizabeth asked, just to be sure.

Rodney seemed to struggle for a moment with the answer. "Once the wormhole ceases to exist, all matter inside does the same," he finally said. Elizabeth nodded once.

"How long will you need to make a final report?"

"I-I'm not sure. Another day or two, probably."

"I'd like to include the results in our weekly upload to SGC tomorrow." Rodney nodded.

"I'll do everything I can." Rodney turned to leave, and then stopped. "Elizabeth?" he asked. "I'm…truly sorry." She bit back the tears threatening to escape.

"Thank you."

* * *

The Atlantis gate room was pretty quiet, empty but for a few city personnel. All of that changed, however, when the Stargate lit up.

"Incoming wormhole," one of the lieutenants in the control room called out. "Shield raised."

"I'm getting an IDC," another man reported. "This can't be right…" The highest officer currently on duty also happened to be in the control room, and was looking at the code on the screen. "What should I do, Major?"

The officer toggled on his radio. "Security team to the gate room," he ordered. "Lower the shield," he told the lieutenant once he could see the security force beginning amass down below.

The shield fell, and moments later, Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard stepped into the room. He instantly froze, however, upon seeing several gun barrels in his face. "Whoa. What the hell is going on here?"

"Who are you?" one man in the team asked. Or rather, John realized, it was a boy, because he didn't think he could even be eighteen years old. "How did you get one of our identification codes?"

"It's MY identification code," John shot back. "Stand down," he ordered the team, but none of them moved. "That's an order."

"Who are you to give US orders?" a girl in the group, no older than the boy, spoke up.

"I'm the military commander of this facility!" That didn't seem to have any impact. "Am I in the twilight zone or something? Where the hell is Elizabeth?"

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say; the boy took a step foward, aiming for his head. "Who are you?" he asked again.

John sighed. "Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard. You want my serial number, too?"

"Our father was killed before we were born," the boy replied, indicating with a tip of his head that the girl beside him was the other part of 'we'. "You can't possibly be him."

John did a double take. "Your what?"

"He looks just like Mom's picture," the girl realized, her weapon lowering.

"Abbie," the boy started, but she cut him off.

"We should have his identity verified, one way or the other."

"I know damn well who I am," John shot. "My question is who YOU are." The boy ignored him.

"Take him to the infirmary," the major that was up in the control room called down to the security team. "Jonathan, Abigail, you stay here. I'd imagine the Colonel is going to want to talk to you once he arrives."

"Yes, Sir," they chorused. One of security officers used his gun like a prod to get Sheppard moving, and they exited the control room.

* * *

John was glad to see one familiar face enter the infirmary, although upon laying eyes on his patient, Atlantis' Chief of Medicine looked like he'd seen a ghost.

"Carson!" John called when he saw the other man. "Would someone please tell me what is going on around here? I've got my own soldiers – although I don't recognize any of them – with guns pointed at me, and two little smartasses – who I also don't know – that decided today would be a good day for practical jokes. And where is Elizabeth?"

"Calm down, John," Beckett told him. He studied the doctor carefully for a moment.

"You look different."

"Aye, I'd imagine I do. You, however, haven't changed at all."

"Okay…Was I supposed to?"

"What's the last thing you remember before arriving in Atlantis?"

John frowned. "Running for my life on Talbyn. They weren't too happy with us."

Carson sighed. "Aye. Colonel…you didn't JUST leave Talbyn."

"Excuse me?"

"It…it's been eighteen years since that day."

John's mouth opened, but no sound came out for a long moment. "You're in on the joke, too, huh?" he finally asked. "Where's McKay? Is he around here somewhere with a camera?"

"John. This isn't a joke."

And there was something about the tone of his voice that let him know Carson really was telling the truth. John stared at his hands for a long moment. "Eighteen years," he slowly repeated.

"Yes…I'm going to need to examine you, and then Colonel Garrett requested your presence in his office."

"Colonel who?"

"The commanding officer of the city."

"What happened to Elizabeth? Where is she?"

"She's here. But you're not going to be seeing anyone until you've been checked out." And as much as he didn't like it, he had no choice but to relent.

* * *

TBC... 


	4. Chapter 4

John didn't get much more information out of Beckett while he was being examined, so once his identity really had been medically confirmed he eagerly left the infirmary to find Colonel Garrett. It was slightly unnerving to see the man seated so comfortably in the office that John knew to be Elizabeth's.

"Ah, Colonel Sheppard," the officer said. "Please, have a seat. I'd imagine this has all been a bit much to take in." John gave a nod.

"That's kind of an understatement. I've definitely got a lot more questions than answers."

"I've received a preliminary briefing from the science team as to how all this is possible. As far as anyone in this city knew, eighteen years ago, you were killed in an accident when the Stargate shut down before you could rematerialize in the city. It seems clear now that you never emerged from the gate then because you were sent to your future, or our present."

"Let's not start playing with tenses," John interrupted. The Colonel smiled.

"The Stargate isn't designed to be a time travel device, but it has acted as one in the past under special circumstances. Right now, the main theory is that the energy from the weapons that were being fired at you somehow tore a conduit through space-time that allowed you to wind up here."

"Well, that's…not really all that comforting. Anybody got any ideas for how to fix it?"

"We're working on that; another briefing will be held this afternoon. In the meantime, I think there's someone waiting in the conference room that can explain the things you've missed a bit better than I can."

* * *

As the conference room doors opened, John saw that there were three 'someone's waiting for him. The pair of kids that had been in the gate room before was standing together, talking with another person who had their back to him, sitting in a chair at the far side of them room. He hadn't really taken the time to get a look at them before, but did now. The boy was tall with hazel eyes and brown hair that fell a good three inches longer than military regulation. The girl had hair of the same color flowing halfway down her back with a hint of curl at the bottom. Her eyes were green, like John's own, and shone as she talked animatedly. The conversation stopped, however, at the sound of the door opening and everyone just stared at each other for a long moment.

"Hi, Dad," the girl finally said, stepping towards him with her brother.

John cracked a smile. "Wow. Dad. That's going to take some getting used to."

"For us, too," the boy said.

"I'm sorry; I don't even know your names."

"I'm Abbie."

"Jon."

John raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Usually only Mom calls him that," Abbie explained. "His name's actually Jonathan."

"I see. Um, speaking of," John said, "Where is your mom?"

The chair at the end of the table turned around, and John was pretty sure his heart stopped at the sight of the woman sitting in it. "Hello, John," Elizabeth said with a small smile. He had trouble making himself breathe, let alone talk. Much thinner than he remembered and somewhat pale, she seemed much older than she really was. But the smile on her face…He'd always been a sucker for that smile.

"Elizabeth," he finally whispered. She attempted to get up, and Jonathan hurried to her side.

"Stop, Mom. You're too weak." John joined them, kneeling beside Elizabeth's chair, taking her hands, and trying his best to smile.

"I can't believe you're here," she said.

"I kind of feel the same way. I see you've been busy."

Elizabeth smiled up at her children. "I've been kept on my toes," she agreed. "I found out about them a couple weeks after…the accident. Well, only one at first. For a couple months, Abbie always had to be the star of the show when I had a checkup."

"I just wanted to surprise you," Jonathan cut in.

"And you did," she replied with a small laugh.

They all looked up as a figure entered the doorway. There was something vaguely familiar about the boy, who looked no older to John than his own children were, but he couldn't figure out exactly what it was. "Hey," he called to Jonathan and Abigail. "Mac said there's something in the lab that you have to see."

"Can it wait?" Jonathan asked him.

"Not according to her." He rolled his eyes.

"We'll be back in ten minutes," Abbie promised John as the twins left with their friend.

"Who was that, and who's Mac?" John asked Elizabeth.

"That was Tagan Dex."

His jaw dropped. "You're kidding. As in…"

"Yep. And Mac is a nickname for Mackenzie Beckett."

John frowned. " Carson definitely did not mention that when I saw him. Who's her mother?"

"You'd know instantly if you saw her. Mac inherited her flaming red hair."

"Lieutenant Cadman?"

"Major Cadman, now."

"Wow. I guess I've missed a lot in the past two decades. Where's the rest of AG-1?"

Elizabeth looked down for a moment. "Rodney is back on Earth. The last I heard, he was doing quite well."

John nodded. "That's good. How about Ronon and Teyla? Are they in the city or on the mainland?"

"Neither…There was a Wraith attack during a mission a few years ago…they were both taken. Tagan was eleven." He sighed.

"They couldn't be rescued?"

"No. We lost four others trying."

"Just when I was thinking our lives turned out pretty good…"

"There's been good with the bad," Elizabeth commented, before coughing into her hand.

John eyed her skeptically. "Why do I get the feeling that the bad is in the majority? Should you be down in the infirmary?"

"No. There's nothing they can do." She began coughing again, and he put an arm around her slight shoulders to help her stay upright. "I hate how easily I get tired these days."

"Do I still know where your quarters are?" John asked as he helped her up. Elizabeth smiled.

"No. But I'll show you if you give me a hand getting here."

* * *

TBC...

Don't kill me! I had to do it. The future has to be different, or the present wouldn't be missed so much.


	5. Chapter 5

Elizabeth's room was a few floors down in the main spire, just around the corner from a transporter. After seeing how much the short trek took out of her, John knew that the location wasn't a coincidence.

"Get some rest," he quietly told her as he pulled a blanket over her small form. She caught his hand before he could walk away from her bed.

"Promise me you'll still be here."

John took a deep breath and nodded. "I may not still be in the room, but I'm not leaving the city." And that was good enough. Elizabeth's eyes closed, and he could almost immediately see her body relax into sleep.

He sat in a chair by the window to watch her. It was hard for him to imagine all the things she must have gone through without him. It had been confusing enough to suddenly get thrown into this whole new reality, but Elizabeth had had to live with it for eighteen years, raising two children alone in another galaxy.

John looked up at the sound of the door opening, and saw Abbie and Jonathan in the doorway. After checking to make sure Elizabeth was still asleep, he got up and joined them in the hall.

"Is Mom okay?" Jonathan asked him.

"She said she was tired. Fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow."

Abbie sighed. "We should have brought you to her instead of the other way around. Mom's too stubborn for her own good."

John smiled. "I guess some things really don't change." Silence fell for a long moment. "How sick is she?" he finally got up the courage to ask, and noticed as Jonathan took his sister's hand.

"It's called Hodgkin's Disease," he explained. "Or, at least, that was what started it. The medical team tried everything they could. We even went back to Earth, saw doctors all over the planet. It was just…too late."

"She wanted to be in Atlantis," Abbie added. "So the _Columbia _brought us back a couple weeks ago. Carson's given her days, maybe a week. I guess that…maybe the anomaly in the Stargate had some sense of timing in bringing you here."

John shook his head. "Timing would have been dumping me out eighteen years ago."

* * *

Jonathan and Abbie assured John that Elizabeth would likely sleep the rest of the afternoon, so the three of them went to find food in the mess hall. "Have you grown up here your whole lives?" John asked the twins as they found a table by the window and sat down. 

Abbie nodded. "Mom didn't exactly tell anyone at S.G.C. about us when she found out. And by the time they DID find out, there wasn't a doctor on either side of the gate that thought Stargate travel OR a month on the Daedalus was a good idea. So we were born here."

"Within two years, Atlantis went from having no kids to having a lot," Jonathan cut in. "Some people went back to Earth. Mom stayed. Me, Abbie, Tagan, and Mac are the oldest New 'Lanteans. We make up AG-14."

John raised an eyebrow. "You're on a team?"

"Tagan's mom taught us to fight when we were little," Abbie explained. "And his dad taught us to shoot. Probably way earlier than he should have, but we didn't mind at the time."

"And then SHE taught herself to fly when we were twelve," Jonathan pointed out, giving his sister a Look.

"Everyone needs a hobby," Abbie shot back. "After the third time I 'borrowed' a jumper, the Colonel convinced Mom to let us have some responsibilities around the city. I think he was trying to keep us out of trouble."

"Did it work?" John asked. The twins grinned. "I didn't think so."

* * *

They were still in the mess hall, talking, when Mackenzie Beckett approached a couple hours later to let them know that the science team was about to brief Colonel Garrett. As soon as Mac had entered the room, John had known who she was – she really was her mother's spitting image. 

Abbie went to check on Elizabeth, so Jonathan followed his father through the city to the conference room. Most things in Atlantis LOOKED the same, but John barely recognized any of the people. He almost felt guilty for feeling out of place and wishing he could go home to his own time; the people here hadn't seen him in almost twenty years, and he wanted to leave them again.

"Welcome, Colonel," Garrett told him as he came into the conference room. "Let's get started." John took a seat on one side of the room, with Jonathan beside him. The science team, which included Mac and Zelenka along with a bunch of other people John didn't know, displayed their analyses of the data that had been collected from the gate the day that John had disappeared.

"At the time, we believed that the Stargate was still trying to transmit Colonel Sheppard to Atlantis when the gate shut down," Zelenka reported, and John realized that his accent had faded considerably over the years, "And the weapons fire from the Talbyns was what caused it to overload. Given what we know now, we feel it was more likely that the weapons fire created the distortion of space-time that allowed the Colonel to be sent to the future. This distortion drew considerably greater amounts of power than normal gate activity until, in essence, a circuit breaker was thrown."

"Without the gate's failsafe," Mac added, "It's possible that our power supplies would have been drained entirely, and Colonel Sheppard would have been sent hundreds, if not thousands of years into the future."

"Good thing the Ancients had fuses," John muttered.

"Is it possible to improve the failsafe systems so that it would be impossible for this sort of thing to happen again in the future?" Garrett asked.

"We're working on it," one of scientists replied.

"Question number two is: is there a way to send me back?" John asked. A few of the science team members shared looks.

"We are uncertain," Zelenka told him. "Even if we could create another distortion, it may be near impossible to control the power flow to the gate. We could come up weeks short or years long. And the failsafe mechanisms on the gate would have to be disengaged in order for us to make an attempt, which could lead to a catastrophic overload, should something go wrong."

"But…you have to try, right?"

Zelenka looked to Garrett, who, after a moment's hesitation, nodded. "Look into the feasibility of trying to recreate the event that brought the Colonel here. We'll discuss it once you have calculations done. Dismissed."

* * *

TBC... 


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sorry that I slacked off on the updates. To make up for it: two chapters instead of just one.**

* * *

"Dad?" Jonathan asked as he and John walked back to Elizabeth's quarters. He'd been quiet most of the trip. 

"Yeah?"

"I know everything's probably pretty weird and stuff, but…it's not that bad living here, and I bet the Colonel would give you a team again…Would you hate it if you had to stay?"

John sighed, looking at the teen who'd had to be the man of his family since the day he was born. And it showed. "I wouldn't hate it, and I know this isn't fair to you…You know how your mom really wanted to be here, home, instead of staying on Earth?" Jonathan nodded. "My home is eighteen years ago, and I feel the same way about it. But if things don't work out…this life looks pretty good, too." Jonathan slowly nodded.

Arriving at Elizabeth's door, John brushed his hand over the sensor. Both men were surprised to see that Elizabeth was awake and sitting in a chair by the vanity, with Abbie helping her fix her hair.

"What's going on?" John inquired.

"Ask her," Abbie replied. "She won't tell me, just keeps saying it's a surprise."

"What kind of surprise?" Jonathan asked.

"Telling you that would ruin the surprise part," Elizabeth replied with a smile. "I still have a little bit of weight to throw around with the personnel in this city, a few favors that hadn't been cashed in. I thought we should take advantage of the time we have." Jonathan and Abbie looked skeptical, but John just smiled.

"Well then, let's go."

* * *

Elizabeth had the transporter take them to the north pier. It was a little bit of a trek from there to their final destination, but as they arrived on one of the balconies, they could see that a picnic had been set up. 

"What's on the menu?" Abbie asked with a grin.

"A few special items I brought back on the Columbia," Elizabeth said as John helped her sit down. "Although when I planned this dinner, I didn't expect that there would be four of us to share it." John smiled, sitting behind her so he could be used as a chair-back.

"Glad I could be here."

Jonathan and Abbie were busily unpacking dinner and divvying up the items onto plates. "Oh, wow, Mom!" Abbie exclaimed as she got to the bottom.

"What?" John asked. She happily displayed a plate of crepes, along with chocolate, jam, and sugar.

"I took them to Paris while we were on Earth," Elizabeth told him. "I think we each gained ten pounds." Considering the fact that he could distinctly feel her spine and shoulder blades against his chest, John hated to think of how thin she'd been BEFORE that little trip.

"There's so much good food on Earth," Jonathan told his father. "And so many kinds. They don't know how lucky they are."

"I think it's more like you just didn't know how deprived you were, growing up with the mess hall," he replied with a laugh.

* * *

They all had a wonderful time together, the first meal they'd ever shared as a family. John volunteered to get Elizabeth back to her room while Jonathan and Abbie cleaned up and returned their plates and silverware to the mess hall. "That was a pretty nice surprise you had up your sleeve, there," John said as they arrived on her hallway. 

"Thank you…I've been trying to make as many good memories for them as I can." He waved her door open, and they went inside. "I'm sorry things are a bit of a mess…I don't think I've finished unpacking yet. I never quite have the energy, or if I do, something else comes up."

John smiled, helping her get situated on her bed. "I've seen worse. You need anything?" Elizabeth shook her head. "Okay. I'll see you in the morning."

"John?" she asked. "Will…will you stay with me tonight?" The both knew he couldn't deny her anything, even if he wanted to. Without a word, he took off his jacket and slipped under the blanket beside her, holding her close in his arms. "Just like I remembered," she whispered.

"What is?"

"This. You. So many nights, I dreamed of this. All I had all these years was the regrets. That stupid fight…the things we never said. I was just scared; I didn't want to lose you. But I did…I always hoped you would have been happy about Jon and Abbie."

"They're beautiful, Liz'beth. You did an amazing job…If I could do that day over, I never would have left on that mission. I would have said the thing I should have said instead of hiding behind my own fears: I love you."

Elizabeth closed her eyes, drawing in a shuddering breath. When they opened again, they were shining with tears. "I love you, too….So much time, wasted," she whispered, her voice barely strong enough to be audible. "All these years, what I would have given for this. An entire night in your arms."

John smiled. "Sleep," he gently told her. "I'll still be here in the morning. We can have breakfast with Abbie and Jonathan."

Her lips curved as well. "I like that plan," she whispered as she nodded off.

* * *

As John woke up the next morning, it took a minute for him to figure out where he was. He never had spent an entire night with Elizabeth before, waking up to the sun shining brightly through the window instead of to the alarm on his watch in pitch blackness. As he looked down at her still-sleeping form, he was struck again by how much of their precious time had been squandered. 

"Liz'beth," he whispered in her ear. "Still up for a family breakfast? I'm going to go wake up Jon and Abbie, okay?" She didn't even stir, and John smiled to himself. "Maybe we'll make it breakfast in bed for Sleeping Beauty." He shifted out from behind her to get up. "Here, wrap up good," he said, tucking the blankets around her, "You're cold."

There was a little twinge of fear in the pit of his stomach as he realized. She was COLD. And she wasn't moving. "Elizabeth?" John asked, gently shaking her shoulder. "Elizabeth, wake up…Come on, Liz'beth, please." But her eyes remained closed. "Elizabeth…" Her lips were tinged blue – she wasn't breathing.

"What are your kids going to do without you? You've always been their everything…You were MY everything, I just never got to tell you." Gathering her up in his arms, he kissed her forehead. "I've always loved you. And I always will."

After a long moment, he used one hand to activate his radio. "Sheppard to Dr. Beckett…Can you please come to Elizabeth's quarters?"

"Is she all right, John?" he could hear the Scotsman reply.

He took a deep breath. "She's gone."


	7. Chapter 7

The city that had lost so much already had lost one more. John found the birthday present he'd given Elizabeth so many years earlier while he, Abbie, and Jonathan were going through her room. It somehow seemed fitting that they once again use the little clay pot as an urn. John and the twins took it down to the balcony where they'd had dinner together. Their one and only dinner together.

As they watched the ashes float away into to sea, John couldn't help feeling detached from it all. 'His Elizabeth' was still fine, back in their past. As long as they figured out some way to send him back to his time, he hadn't really lost her. Of course, that didn't help Abbie and Jonathan.

"Anyone feel like talking?" John asked as they stared out at the view. He didn't receive a response for a long moment.

"We should have done something," Jonathan finally gritted out. "We should have…we should have figured it out sooner. We knew something was wrong, she just…"

"I'm sure she didn't want you to know. She never let anyone see when she was hurt or sick. It's not your fault."

"Then whose fault is it? Why did everything happen to her?"

Abbie couldn't hold back the tears anymore, and John pulled her into his arms. "I don't know," he quietly said. "But something must have gone right for her, because she got you two. And I know how much she loved you because I see who you've grown up to be."

"I miss her," Abbie whimpered into his shoulder.

"I know," John told her. "I know you do. Come here," he said to Jonathan, who was also on the edge of breaking down, and held both of them as they cried.

* * *

Things were pretty quiet after they returned from the north pier. Abbie had gone to Elizabeth's room, curled up on her bed, and fallen asleep. Jonathan had disappeared into his own quarters and locked the door behind him.

John was pacing up and down the hallway between the two rooms when Tagan rounded the corner. "How are they?" the boy asked.

"About as good as you would expect. Abbie's asleep, but Jon might talk to you. You probably understand better than anyone else."

"He doesn't like to talk," Tagan told him. " Jonathan could convince a person to eat their own shoes, but he doesn't talk to anyone about himself. That's why I brought these." He held up a set of fighting sticks. "When my parents were taken, I destroyed my room. Completely. Even set a few things on fire."

"Are you suggesting that he do the same?" John asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No. Anger doesn't disappear when you push it away. It has to be let out, or else it grows and grows…until you wreck something."

"Like a room." He gave a nod.

* * *

So Tagan and Jonathan went off in search of a training room so they could beat up on a few defenseless punching bags. John checked on Abbie, who was still soundly asleep and wrapped up in her mother's team jacket, and then made his way up to the control room.

"You have a minute, Sir?" he asked Colonel Garrett as he came into his office.

"I do. I was just going to send someone to check on you. How are you doing?"

"I don't think it's sinking in. Jonathan and Abbie are the ones that I'm worried about."

"They're tough kids."

"They are just kids, though."

Garrett considered that, and nodded. "Yes, they are. Seems like they grew up years ago. Maybe they just grew up too fast."

"There's a lot changing for them right now, so I just wanted to let you know that…if the science team actually comes up with a way to send me back, I think it would be better to wait a little bit before we do it."

"That's not going to be an issue, Sheppard."

John frowned. "What do you mean?"

"They've finished initial calculations. It seems going backward in time is a bit more complicated than going forwards. The only artificial thing that would be able to supply enough power is the city's ZPM, and no one's sure how much juice it would have left afterwards, but it wouldn't be much."

"Th-they're sure?"

"Yes. I hope you can understand the fact that I can't put this city at risk, especially since we have no idea what the chance of success would be."

"Yes, sir."

Garrett tried to offer a smile. "Why don't you go be with your children, Colonel? We'll talk later about what comes next."

* * *

Abbie was awake when John returned to Elizabeth's room. He tried to get her to come along with him to the mess hall, but she declined, instead escaping to the science labs in the hopes that keeping busy might help her forget.

Mac looked up from her tablet PC as she saw her best friend enter the lab where she was working. "Hey, Abbie. How are you doing?"

"What are you working on?" Abbie countered without answering her question.

"Just looking over some numbers. I know Colonel Garrett doesn't think this will work, but I'm pretty sure it will. It just won't be easy."

"He doesn't think what will work?" Abbie asked.

Mac looked up. "Your Dad didn't tell you?"

"No. Tell me what?"

"The Colonel stopped us from trying to get your dad back to his time. He's staying here."

Abbie frowned. "What?"

"Colonel Garrett thinks it'll take too much power to risk it, and it WILL take a lot, but I KNOW it'll work. I can't believe we're not even going to try. If it was up to your mom – " Mac stopped, her eyes wide. "Oh, God, Abbie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean – "

"It's okay. You're right. If my mom was…still here and in charge of the city, we would try. But she's not here. She's in the past."

Mac raised an eyebrow. "What are you getting at?"

"I don't want to have to say good-bye to my dad, too, but maybe…maybe if he goes back and he knows what's going to happen, he'll be able to make sure Mom doesn't get so sick in the first place."

"But the Colonel – "

"We have to send him back, Mac," Abbie cut her off, "Whether Colonel Garrett approves it or not."

"You expect us to be able to modify the city power systems, modify gate control systems, and get access to the Stargate without the Colonel's approval?"

"Yeah. Are you in or out?"

* * *

TBC... 


	8. Chapter 8

It only took a little bit of thought before Mac agreed, as did Jonathan and Tagan. The four members of AG-14 met up in one of the rec rooms that night to discuss their plan.

"I've got all of the calculations that the science team did," Mac explained. "I know what modifications we need and how to make them. First off, the safeguard blocking the gate from using the ZPM for a seven symbol address has to be removed. That's your job," she told Abbie, handing her a printout. "There are a bunch of other modifications I have to make to the Stargate's control system in order for us to actually be able to dial. You guys have the easy job," she told Jonathan and Tagan.

"AG-9 said they would help," Jonathan told her.

"Good. But we're going to need more people."

"We're aiming for 2700-hours tomorrow night," Abbie added. "So we need to switch shifts with people who should be on duty so that we're the only ones manning the control room. And a couple friendly marines in the hall wouldn't hurt, either, to give us warning of any random visitors."

"We'll get it done," Tagan promised.

"We're only going to have one shot at this," Abbie told the other three. "But we could fix everything that's gone wrong in our lives if we get it right."

* * *

Abbie hadn't exactly mentioned her plan to John yet. She and Jonathan decided to keep it that way until they were sure that everything was set up. Abbie went to find him around dinnertime the following evening. "Are you hungry?" she asked him as the door to his quarters opened.

"I could be. Are you?"

"Sort of. But I probably should eat something anyway. Jonathan said he'd meet us in the mess."

"Well, then, let's go." They were quiet as they walked the halls together. "What have you been up to all day?" John asked.

"Working on stuff."

He smirked. "Could you vague that up a little?"

Abbie glanced around; the halls were near empty. "Working on how to get you back to your own time." John stopped in his tracks.

"What are you talking about?"

"I know Colonel Garrett said it was too risky, but we know we can do it. And it's what you want, right? We have everything planned," Abbie told him as they started walking once more. "You just have to say yes."

They rounded a corner, arriving at the door of the mess hall. They could see Jonathan waiting inside. "I'm guessing this is going to be off-the-books, right?" John asked. Abbie's silence was his reply. "Right…So when are we doing it?"

* * *

Throughout the evening, everything went perfectly according to plan. As zero-hour approached, everyone gathered in the control room. While a couple members of AG-9 worked with Mac in the control room to make the necessary modifications to the gate, John pulled Abbie aside.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked her. "I mean…I want to go back, but I can understand Colonel Garrett's point. It's not worth sacrificing your future in order to do it. Even if this does work, you're barely going to have enough power left to for the drone chair. The shield would probably be out of the question. And if it doesn't work…"

Abbie smiled. "As soon as you get back where you're supposed to be, this future will cease to exist. It won't matter how much power we have."

John considered that. "Oh…"

"You'll get a chance to do things over, Dad. Fix the things that went wrong, and be there this time…Do you know what my name means?"

"No idea."

"Father's joy. Mom…she knew how much we would have meant to you. I've grown up my whole life with everyone always telling me how much I was like you."

"I'll apologize for that right now," John said.

Abbie smiled. "Mom was good at telling us stories, but…I'm looking forward to being able to grow up hearing them from you instead." He returned her grin, nodding.

"Abbie!" she heard Mac call from downstairs. "We're ready." She started to head for the stairs, but John caught her by the shoulder.

"Just…before we do this…I'm trusting my life to someone who isn't even old enough to drive on Earth…You're sure this is going to work?"

Abbie laughed. "She's good. Mac's been giving Zelenka a run for his money since she was ten."

"And ten was how long ago?"

She shot him a Look. "Dad. Come on." He relented, and they headed down the staircase.

"Harrington to A-Sheppard," Abbie heard one of the marines say over her headset. "You've got incomming."

She immediately turned back to Tagan, who was still up in the control room. "Seal the gate room!" she called. "Someone's coming." The doors began locking shut.

"Dial the gate," Jonathan told one of the other team members that was in the control room. He punched in the seven chevrons for Atlantis, and only hesitated a moment before executing the address. The laws of physics temporarily went out the window as the wormhole actually connected. Mac monitored the effects of modifications that she'd made.

"Are we good?" Abbie asked her friend.

She nodded. "Yeah, but I don't know how long it's going to stay stable."

"Someone's trying to override the lockout," Tagan reported. "Now would be a good time to do this!"

John looked to his two children, not quite knowing how to say good-bye, especially on a time crunch. Jonathan offered him a little smile.

"See you soon, Dad?" he said. John nodded.

"Yeah. See you soon." And then he stepped into the event horizon.

* * *

TBC... (warning: fluff ahead) 


	9. Chapter 9

"I'm picking up irregularities in the gate power system," one of the techs in the control room called out. The funny noise the device was beginning to make definitely wasn't normal. "I can't stabilize it!"

Teyla, Rodney, and Ronon stepped through the event horizon, and everyone covered their eyes as the Stargate shut down with a bright flash. Elizabeth stood on the balcony, staring down in shock.

"Where's John?" she asked. The team looked around, their eyes widening.

"He was right behind us," Rodney said. All of a sudden, the Stargate reconnected. The shield was still down, and before it could be raised, John stepped through the event horizon. Everyone's jaws were on the floor.

"Wormholes don't do that," Rodney pointed out. "You shouldn't exist."

"I'm fully aware," John replied. Elizabeth was already halfway down the staircase. She came to a stop in front of him and they had an entire conversation with just their eyes. John finally closed the gap between them and kissed her. A few cheers came up from the control room, mixed with grumbles about lost bets.

"Where did that come from?" Elizabeth quietly asked him as they broke apart.

"It's a long story," he replied in kind.

"I look forward to hearing it. You and the rest of your team need to get checked out in the infirmary."

"I want Carson to get a look at you, too," he countered. Elizabeth raised an eyebrow. "Trust me. I'll tell you everything later. I just have a…rather strong suspicion that there are going to be some major changes around here in about nine months."

* * *

Much to Elizabeth's frustration, John remained mostly silent while they waited for the results of the tests that Carson was running on both of them. He wasn't sure exactly how much he was going to reveal of what he'd seen. If people in the city knew the future, would it change the good aspects of what was to come?

John and Elizabeth both looked up as Beckett walked into the corner of the infirmary where they were waiting. "You've got a clean bill of health," he told John. "And should I assume you're the one responsible for Dr. Weir's current state?"

Her eyes widened. "He was right?"

"Aye. You are indeed pregnant."

Elizabeth turned to John. "How did you know?"

"Remember that little physical impossibility of me coming through the gate after it already closed?"

"It wasn't something I was likely to forget."

"Well, that was my return trip from about twenty years in the future." They both just stared.

"Your what?"

"Something went pretty seriously wrong with the Stargate when I coming to Atlantis and I wound up in the future. That's how I knew about our little surprise."

"The Stargate isn't designed for time travel," Elizabeth pointed out.

"I'm aware. Getting back was a bit complicated, but…" he hesitated, considering how much to say, "There are going to be some pretty bright kids growing up in this city."

"You saw our child?" Elizabeth asked.

John grinned. "Yes," he answered simply, deciding to let their son be a surprise for her again.

"I have a feeling this is going to be a very interesting mission report," she replied with a smile.

* * *

By that evening, Atlantis' rumor mill was in full force. Everyone in the city was talking about the snippets of information they'd picked up about the day's events. John had been highly amused by some of the stories he'd overheard with regards to the future that he'd supposedly seen. People certainly had good imaginations.

As the night wore on, he headed up to the control tower to see if Elizabeth was burning the midnight oil. She wasn't in her office, and he was about to head back downstairs when a bit of red out on the balcony caught his eye as he passed the door. Elizabeth was out at the railing without a jacket, watching barely-visible wavelets crash into the city far below. "Hey," he said as he joined her.

"Hi. I was just thinking about…everything."

John smiled. "Yeah. It's been an interesting day."

"I still can't believe it…I guess you've had a little more time to get used to things."

"Mmm. A couple days with the end result."

"I know we never talked about children…Actually, we never planned much of anything for the future. I guess that was kind of the problem this morning."

"Yeah…but the reason I'm standing here right now is to get a second chance at a future with you – and a family with you. We'll work everything else out along the way."

"SGC is going to flip when they hear this," Elizabeth pointed out.

"So we won't say anything. At least not yet."

"We're supposed to do a data upload tomorrow."

John shrugged. "A few documents might just happen to fall through the cracks. Honest mistake. Besides, I'm sure that you're going to come up with something amazing to convince everyone that there's no issue with us staying in Atlantis."

She smiled. "No pressure."

They remained together in amicable silence for a few minutes longer before John finally spoke up. "Close your eyes and stick out your hand," he told her.

Elizabeth looked at him warily. "Why?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes. I trust that you have the sense of humor of a five-year-old."

"Hey! Seven-year-old, at least." Elizabeth laughed, but obediently offered her right hand and shut her eyes. She could feel something small land in her palm and John curling her fingers around the object so she wouldn't drop it. "Okay, open." She looked to see what he'd done, and quickly realized that she was holding a blue-stoned ring. "It's the best I could do at the moment," John explained, "But…that's my ring from the Academy. I know it's too big; you can put it on a chain or something. And next time I'm on Earth, I'll get a real ring. You can help, if we go back at the same time, if you want. I'm not sure how good my taste is with such things, but – "

" John," Elizabeth finally cut off his ramble, "Are you asking something?"

"Well…we've got a lot to figure out – I know that – and I don't want you to think that I'm only asking because you're pregnant. I'm not; I hope we would have ended up here anyway. It just probably would have taken longer."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes with a smile. " John? The answer is yes."

* * *

TBC...

one chapter left!


	10. Epilogue

**I got a few questions in reviews about why John hadn't told anyone about the fact that Elizabeth got sick in the future. Hodgkins Disease is a type of cancer, so when he went back to the present, she wasn't sick yet. As the kids said in the future, Elizabeth hid the fact that she was sick for long enough that they couldn't treat her successfully once they found out. So as long as John knows when it's going to happen, he can make sure she doesn't pretend that nothing's wrong. Hope that clears some stuff up. And now, on with the show...  
**

* * *

It was really pretty annoying that a trip TO Earth took three microseconds and the trip BACK to Atlantis took three weeks. Being cooped up on the Daedalus for so long was made even worse by the fact that John knew what he was missing. A request from the Air Force that he return 'home' meant that he lost a month of his kids' lives. 

He had been a changed man since Jonathan and Abigail had been born – yes, he'd managed to convince Elizabeth that they should keep the twins' names the same. The first night after they were born, he sat all night in the infirmary just watching them, wondering who they were going to grow up into this time and hoping he would be able to actually fix the things that had gone wrong. They were starting to get older now and he was constantly amazed by the little people that were a part of him. No matter how badly a day had gone, he could always count on the fact that sitting in a recreation room with his kids and watching football would make it better. Abbie was a Broncos fan solely because she liked pictures of horses, and John was pretty sure that Elizabeth had a hand in the fact that Jonathan liked New England.

"Colonel?" a voice brought him out of his thoughts. He was sitting in the Daedalus' mess hall, staring off at nothing with a full cup of coffee in front of him that had undoubtedly already gone lukewarm, if not completely cold. "We're approaching orbit, Sir."

"Thank you," he told the crewman, getting up to dispose of his drink. Finally, it was time to go home.

* * *

Upon beaming into the gate room in Atlantis, John could already hear the sound of little feet thundering across the floor. Jonathan and Abbie ran in from the hallway, heading straight for him with cries of, "Daddy! Daddy!" Laughing, John managed to pick up both of the four-and-three-quarters-year-olds (the three quarters were very important) at once. 

"Whoa, were you guys sitting on a radio, waiting for us to get in orbit?" he asked them.

"They were indeed," Teyla told him as she joined them, having been following more slowly behind the twins with three-year-old Tagan on her hip. "We all spent the afternoon decorating your quarters at Jonathan and Abigail's suggestion."

"Uh-oh. Did you guys use glitter again?" John asked. Abbie smiled proudly. "And I'm assuming Mommy doesn't know about that, huh?"

"It's a surprise," Jonathan explained.

"I see. Where is Mommy, by the way?" The twins both pointed up the stairs. "Of course. Dumb question, right? Let's go see her. Thanks for watching them today," he told Teyla.

"My pleasure."

* * *

Up in the control room, John could see that Elizabeth was at her desk, going over something on her tablet PC. "Knock, knock," he said as he came into her office, setting Jonathan and Abbie down on their feet. Elizabeth looked up in surprise.

"When did you get back?" she asked him.

"About five minutes ago. You didn't hear all the noise these two were making?"

"The wonders of soundproof walls," she replied as she got up.

"Or when the Daedalus radioed down?"

"I killed the volume on my headset – Rodney's been bugging me all afternoon. I figured the guys in the control room would let me know when the ship was in orbit, but I guess not."

"Apparently." He kissed her, earning giggles from their pint-sized audience. "What, I can't kiss your mother without hearing from the peanut gallery?" They just laughed more.

"Did someone do a little jewelry shopping for you?" Elizabeth asked John as she realized that he had different insignia on the collar of his BDU jacket than when he had left.

"Yep. Apparently somebody thought giving me another promotion was a good idea."

"Well, congratulations, Colonel Sheppard."

"Thank you, Dr. Sheppard. I wish you'd been there for the ceremony."

"We can have our own celebration." They both looked down as a little hand pulled at John's pants leg. "Later, without an audience," she amended.

"What's up, munchkin?" John asked Abbie as he knelt in front of her. She held up a ring box.

"What's this?" she asked him.

John looked up at Elizabeth in shock. "Who's been teaching them how to pick pockets?"

She just smiled. "Long story. The crewmen involved have already been dealt with. What did you find, Abbie?" she asked her daughter.

"Hey, give that back," John told the little girl. Flashing him a grin that she'd inherited from her mother, Abbie handed Elizabeth the box. "I'm gone for a month and you turn them against me!" he complained.

"That was my plan all along," Elizabeth replied. "Should I open this?"

"Go ahead. It's for you; I was just going to wait until later." Inside of the little black case was a ring with a heart-shaped stone that nearly matched the color of her shirt. "Happy fifth anniversary."

Elizabeth smiled. "Happy anniversary."

"Things didn't turn out all that badly, did they?"

"Not at all," she agreed. "And I've got a surprise for you, too."

"Oh, really? When did you get the chance to go shopping?" he teased.

"I didn't have to. And actually, it was a pretty good surprise for me, too." John raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Let's just say that there are going to be some changes around here in about nine months."

* * *

Fin. 


End file.
